The Indian Air Force (IAF) has temporarily stopped operating the MiG-21 aircraft, pending checks, to rule out certain technical deficiencies that may have led to the crash of an aircraft earlier this month near Rajasthan’s Suratgarh, senior officials told The Indian Express.
The May 8 crash occurred while the plane was on a routine operational training sortie. While the pilot sustained minor injuries after ejection, the aircraft wreckage fell on a house, killing three civilians.
An official told The Sunday Express that the aircraft are undergoing one-time checks before they resume flying. “Only the Court of Inquiry (CoI) will establish the actual cause of the accident,” the official said. “However, prima facie it looks like a technical fault, because of which the aircraft are undergoing one-time checks. The MiGs will resume flying as soon as the checks are over.”
There are three squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF. Each squadron comprises 16 to 18 aircraft, aside from one or two trainer versions.
#WATCH | Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. Two civilian women died and a man was injured in the incident, the pilot sustained minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/z4BZBsECVV
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023
In September 2022, the decorated No 51 squadron was number-plated — a squadron is number-plated when the aircraft in it are getting phased out.
The three MiG-21 Bison squadrons are planned to be phased out by December 2025.
The IAF has a sanctioned squadron strength of 42, and its current squadron strength is around 30.
Close to 500 MiG-21s have crashed in the last 60 years, killing more than 170 pilots. There are several reasons for the crashes, ranging from technical defects, human error, bird hits or spatial disorientation of pilots in certain circumstances.
IAF temporarily halts MiG-21 ops pending checks - The Indian Express
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